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Media linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen report that at least 33 people, including women and children, died in air strikes conducted by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has not yet issued a comment on the incident.
Rescue Operations and Casualties
According to live video broadcast by the Houthi-operated television station Al Masirah, rescuers extracted bodies from the rubble of multiple collapsed buildings in al-Shariyah, a town located east of the capital, Sanaa. The footage depicted the remains of young children among the victims recovered from the ruins, alongside injured individuals transported on stretchers to local medical facilities.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that the military strike occurred on Saturday and left 39 others injured.
Resurgence of the Conflict
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition engaged in a decade-long conflict against the Houthis on behalf of Yemen’s official government. Although the war remained dormant for several years, hostilities flared up again due to the war involving Iran.
The fragile truce dissolved when Saudi forces struck the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa to block an incoming Iranian aircraft. In response, the Tehran-backed Houthi movement launched attacks against Abha airport in Saudi Arabia and targeted Saudi vessels navigating the Red Sea off the Yemeni coast as an alternative export route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Intense combat has subsequently re-emerged across Yemen between Houthi fighters and forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government. An incident on Friday at a market in Taiz province—a primary friction point in recent clashes—resulted in 30 reported fatalities. Houthi authorities blamed Saudi Arabia for that strike, whereas government forces claimed the Houthis launched a missile at the location.
United Nations data indicates that the renewed fighting has caused more than 1,600 deaths and displaced over 300,000 residents.
Recent Escalation and Retaliation Threats
Saudi coalition forces frequently target Houthi positions from the air, while the movement regularly fires missiles toward locations inside Saudi Arabia, such as airports and energy infrastructure.
Shortly before the bombardment of al-Shariyah, the Saudi-led coalition announced it intercepted a missile directed at Riyadh. The Saudi Ministry of Energy subsequently stated that falling shrapnel struck an Aramco tower during an attempted attack, resulting in minor structural damage to the state-owned oil facility.
Following the latest strikes in Yemen, Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat promised that the group would retaliate.
